It’s no secret that GM’s eleventh hour decision to keep Opel left many in Germany, both public and private, feeling a bit burned. But Nick Reilly, the new Opel CEO, isn’t running from the issue. In fact, he’s addressing it head on.

He’s saying it’s time to end the usual blame-shifting tactics within GM’s European branch. The ultimate problem, he says, was the bureaucratic culture that found roots in the company. With Reilly’s appointment, he’s looking to change that, and that means taking responsibility for the company’s failures as well as its successes.

At this early stage, that amounts to little more than a lot of flowery talk, however. If Reilly’s enthusiasm should bear fruit, it might serve to ease some of the fears in Germany’s auto workers unions and within the German government. On the other hand, the realities of adjusting Opel’s capacity to fit the smaller global marketplace may leave Reilly no alternative but to make unpopular cuts.

And that may be the darker side of the responsibility Reilly is talking about assuming. Opel’s German workforce is about 25 000 members strong, and despite an announcement last week upon taking the reins that no product engineers would lose their jobs, there’s still a very real possibility that capacity – and therefore jobs – will have to be cut.

On the up side however, there are some bright spots in the product portfolio, including the new Insignia sedan/wagon, which have been on the road for just about a year in Europe now. Headed to the U.S. largely unchanged as the 2011 Buick Regal, the Insignia could speak well for the future of Opel. The new Astra, which will also spawn a Buick variant that shares much with the Cruze as well, could also point the direction toward a future that doesn’t require drastic cuts.

Whatever the next few months may hold for Opel, it’s looking like the new leadership may be just what the company needs to shed its tired, near-bankruptcy image.

Adapted from MotorAuthority

General Motors Co. has inked a deal to sell its premium off-road brand, Hummer, to a Chinese industrial company.

GM said last Friday that it has a definitive agreement with Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. for 80 percent of Hummer. A private investor would buy the remaining stake.

Under the terms of the deal, GM would continue to build the H3 and the H3T until June 2011 on a contract basis. GM would assemble the H2 for the Chinese owners for that time period as well. The deals have an option to be extended until June 2012.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but GM would reportedly get US$150 million. It’s still subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

James Taylor, the CEO of Hummer, will stay on and lead the company under its new ownership. He previously was the Cadillac general manager and oversaw that brand’s revival.

“Hummer is a strong global niche brand, and this agreement signifies another important milestone in writing the next chapter for both GM and Hummer,” GM CEO Fritz Henderson said in a statement. “For Hummer, the combination of its knowledgeable leadership team, vehicle-design expertise and the capital financing of Tengzhong portend a successful future.”

The deal could secure about 3 000 jobs in the United States, and Tengzhong would get access to the Hummer dealer network.

Hummer said it plans to add FlexFuel capability to the 2010 H3 and H3T and will sell a diesel H3 outside of North America. The brand also is looking at more options for fuel efficiency, including alternative powertrains and six-speed transmissions.

The agreement is another milestone for GM as it restructures in the wake of its historic bankruptcy. The automaker is shuttering Pontiac and Saturn and trying to sell Opel and Saab. That leaves GM with four core U.S. brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.

Via AutoWeek

More than just a garage, this place is a museum, a giant archive, an art gallery, a piece of auto history and, yes, a sanctuary. It’s also the playroom of James Douglas Muir Leno, born in 1950 and better known as Jay Leno, the famous host of NBC’s The Tonight Show, who’s passionate about fantastic 2 and 4-wheel toys.

“If Jay spent as much time studying as he does acting and goofing around, he could become a big star some day.”

That’s ironically what his fifth-grade teacher told his parents back in the day.

A Buick… or a hotel?
In the early 1970s, Leno arrived in Los Angeles dreaming of a career in Hollywood. With virtually no money, he got his hands on an old 1955 Buick Roadmaster which he also used as his only sleeping place for about six months. “That’s the car I met my wife with,” he says. A few years later, Leno abandoned the Buick at his mother-in-law’s. Soon, he began climbing the echelons of the Hollywood ladder.

In 1992, much to everyone’s surprise, legendary host Johnny Carson picked him as his successor on The Tonight Show, the popular late-night talk show that started way back in the 1950s. Jay Leno has since become one of the most renowned and highest paid comedians on American television.

While comedy is what made him so famous, cars are what fuels his passion. Leno bought his 1955 Buick back, fully restored it and tuned it up by adding a Corvette suspension and a wicked 600-horsepower V8.

The venerable, juiced-up Buick is now surrounded by over a hundred automobiles, trucks and motorcycles from just about every automotive era, from the dawn of the 20th century to the present day.

Gigantic collection
One would need to write a book to describe Leno’s entire collection. Let’s start in the actual garage where a dozen craftsmen are working to restore his newest acquisitions. Then comes a succession of hangars with decorated walls and ceilings and, of course, cars after cars — each telling a unique story (narrated by one of Leno’s longtime employees).

Standing in front of a 1954 Dodge Coronet Suburban powered by a V8 HEMI Red Ram is a second-generation Chevrolet Corvair — the car that was supposed to curb the success of the Volkswagen in North America. We all know how that turned out. Yet, the rear-engined Corvair had flair with its beautiful red dress.

From the electrically-powered 1909 Baker to the exceptional 2004 Porsche Carrera GT, and from a delightful, 13.5-horsepower 1937 Fiat Topolino to the incredible Tank Car, whose 1,600-horsepower, 30-liter, twin-turbo engine was borrowed from an actual M47 Patton tank, there is something for everyone and every taste!

The greatest thing is that Jay Leno doesn’t hide his cars. He loves to show them and talk about them, especially the amazing stories behind some. The public is always invited for a visit, including on the Internet at www.jaylenosgarage.com. Hundreds of photos and videos await you. Have a nice tour!

Adapted from Auto123